Blog
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Building district-wide engagement to reach EL growth goals
Blog
Time to complete:
0:03:39
Building district-wide engagement to reach EL growth goals
Building district-wide engagement to reach EL growth goals
As we return from the holidays and dust off the cobwebs from our textbooks and lesson plans (figuratively - but wouldn’t you love a break that long?) there is an opportunity for a mid-year reset. Assessments and end-of-semester grades from before the break offer a clearer picture of how our students are progressing and what areas they would benefit from additional instruction or resources. In particular, this is a key time to target support for subgroups of students, such as English learners (ELs).
Schools rely on professional development (PD) as a cornerstone for building those specific skills for supporting student language growth and academic success. But with the school year already in full swing and teachers balancing a long list of responsibilities, the challenge becomes how to offer PD in an approach that feels supportive, rather than overwhelming, to educators.
There are a number of techniques districts can use to strike this balance, once they have a PD program in place that can be dynamic and responsive. Ellevation Strategies now offers tools that empower admin to create a more tailored, collaborative professional learning experience in their district. Try these three techniques to drive district-wide engagement and achieve EL growth goals in the new year.
Strategy 1: Align PD with key academic milestones
Educators will benefit the most from - and be the most motivated to engage with - PD activities that are aligned to existing priorities and with big moments in the academic calendar. Regularly updating PD opportunities and tailoring them in this way ensures content is fresh and aligned with wider district goals.
Try it: Administrators can now update the Ellevation Strategies homepage to feature activities directly tied to current needs. For example, “Do you know?” is a great activity to use during test prep around answering questions about content. If there is a school-wide event or assembly coming up, featuring “Language Experience Approach” is a powerful tool for teachers to help students feel more comfortable. The activities can also be dynamic and responsive to district-wide trends, using the data already found in Ellevation to drive planning and focus where needed.
How this benefits educators:
- PD that is aligned to teachers’ immediate needs or focus areas can reduce the feeling of “one more thing on their plate,” and actually empower them to feel more prepared and confident in meeting district and state EL benchmarks.
Strategy 2: Spotlight an “Activity of the Month”
Ellevation Strategies has a library of over 100 activities that educators can use - but some of our districts with the most engaged users find that highlighting one activity at a time is the most effective approach. This strategy builds district-wide alignment while avoiding overwhelm.
Try it: Admin can use the curation feature on the homepage to highlight an “Activity of the Month” for all educators across the district. For example, the admin team may choose “Which Corner?” as January's spotlight - a great activity for helping students transition back into the classroom after break. To build alignment and momentum, school leaders can lead the activity with faculty at a staff meeting that month, include the link to the activity in email communications or on a staff page, and can even post a printed handout to the bulletin board in the teacher’s lounge.
How this benefits educators:
- Reducing decision fatigue for educators allows them to focus more energy on learning and applying the new skill. A monthly cadence offers novelty while avoiding overwhelm!
- A rotating monthly structure also allows admin to templatize their approach to rolling out and sharing each new activity.
Strategy 3: Facilitate collaboration and co-planning across teams
By now, teachers will know which activity to do, and have seen that it is relevant to their upcoming priorities. But trying something new can feel daunting, particularly when it may bring additional prep work. Providing opportunities for educators to leverage others for ideas, resource-sharing, and feedback is key for a PD approach that will have lasting impact on instruction.
Try it: Build in collaboration time across grade-level teams or departments. Together, educators can learn how the activity works (including watching a video example), brainstorm areas to incorporate it into their lesson plans, print and prepare the provided supplementary materials, and even practice the activity with one another. After trying the activity with their own classes, teachers can also report back and share insights, suggestions, and reflections amongst the group.
How this benefits educators:
- Working together builds a sense of community and fosters accountability - if other teachers in my hall are trying out the Activity of the Month this week, I am more likely to follow suit!
- Co-planning as a team can lighten the workload for all, meaning less time spent preparing and more time seeing the activity in action.
- A collaborative approach strengthens implementation fidelity across the school and district, ultimately benefitting our ELs.
District-wide PD engagement is essential for reaching EL growth goals - and with tools like Ellevation Strategies, it can be more effective and impactful than ever before. Learn more about how your district can improve EL student outcomes this school year and beyond.
In Ellevation, you can now curate your own activity lists for your home page. Ready to refresh your home page activities for the new semester? Learn more about getting started with Ellevation's best practices.
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